A couple days ago Canadian singer Avril Lavigne released a video for her “Hello Kitty” single, which received flak from fans for various reasons. Then general impression of users of J-List’s Facebook page and Twitter feed was negative, with fans expressing embarrassment at the “Kyary Pamyu Pamyu-fication” of the singer, who is a big fan of Japan (and of Hello Kitty). This came a few days after it was announced that Lady Gaga would be touring with none other than Hatsune Miku, with the Japanese virtual pop idol opening for the singer, projected on a glass screen on stage. While some readers thought this was cool (since it gave them the opportunity to see Hatsune Miku in concert in the U.S.), many facepalmed at having “our” underground culture taken and re-purposed by a mainstream singer. It’s certainly something I can understand: as a group, fans work hard to create a comfortable place for ourselves, with lots of Pocky and references to cosplay, video game and anime memes that we all understand and love. Having an outsider attempt to take this culture mainstream for their own purposes is potentially frustrating, especially if they’re just going to mess it up. This is a trend that happens in Japan, too. Over the past decade there’s been a “boom” in pop idols who brand themselves as otaku, boasting of the hundreds of volumes of manga they have in their house to score “Akiba street cred” with fans. While some (like Shoko Nakagawa) may be on the level, others can feel quite fake, and you can imagine there’s a team of producers writing scripts for the girls to make fans believe they’re really proper otaku like them.
What are your thoughts on mainstream singers using Japanese pop culture?
